I tried 4 home fitness subscriptions. This is my favorite of 2024
I work from home as a writer and attend in-person workout classes several times a week. Part of what I love about in-person classes is that they force me to leave the house and that I push myself harder when other people are around to witness my struggle to hold a plank.
But sometimes when I'm not feeling my best, am too busy or just running out of ClassPass credits, I get my workout in at home. That's where home fitness subscriptions come into play. But with so many options, it can be hard to tell which fitness subscriptions are actually worth it. I tried four fitness subscription options and broke them down for you below.
When I work out, I frequent Pilates, barre and yoga classes, but I wanted to broaden my horizons while testing subscriptions. I tend to go for workouts that are at least 45 minutes long. In the past, I've followed free YouTube videos for at-home workouts (Move With Nicole is my favorite). But having to watch an ad beforehand gets old and I end up running out of new longer videos to try.
So I decided to try free trials for Alo Moves, P.volve, Obé and Steezy. Since all of these home fitness subscriptions offer free trials, I felt like I really had nothing to lose, plus none of these options required a home gym.
While I enjoyed Alo Moves, P.volve, Obé and Steezy, one of these fitness subscriptions was the clear winner due to how it fit into my lifestyle. Find out which ahead.
P.volve
I've been to an in-person P.volve class, which is why I was curious to try out their home fitness subscription. P.volve is a low-impact toning workout. The in-person P.volve class requires quite a bit of equipment, so I wondered if the home subscription would as well.
The P.volve subscription costs $20 a month, or $150 a year. You're offered a seven-day free trial. Upon signing up, I was asked if I have any of their equipment, and I said no. Then I was offered workout videos that don't require any equipment. The 750 workout videos are filmed in-studio and can be filtered by time (5 to over 60 minutes), equipment owned and more. They are not filtered by difficulty level, however. There are also some meditation classes to take. Note that you can book live classes on the site if you'd like, which I did not try.
I pulled up the website on my laptop while trying all of the subscriptions in this article, but I'd suggest using your TV for a more comfortable experience. The P.volve classes are a bit more fast-paced than my typical yoga and Pilates, and I felt I got in a good workout. If you love the results you get from P.volve classes and don't need a ton of different class types, go for this subscription. You may want to buy some of their equipment, though, in the long run.
Pros:
I felt I got a good workout in and you don't need any equipment to get started with these classes.
Cons:
You need equipment to complete some of the workouts on the site. You cannot filter by difficulty level.
Obé
Obé offers the most workout classes of any subscription. The fitness site boasts more than 10,000 pre-taped classes, plus tons of live stream classes. You get the most class type options with Obé, including dance, yoga, Pilates, cycling, bounce (indoor trampoline), foam rolling and more.
A free trial lasts seven days and a subscription costs $25 a month, or $170 a year. Classes range from five minutes to an hour, and you can filter by fitness level, music type (you may even recognize some songs), equipment needed and more. I noticed collab classes with brands like Whole30, WW, FabFitFun and more. Upon signing up, I was given the option to receive accountability text messages from the site, but I declined. The Obé workouts are filmed in cheerful but simple neon-lit rooms.
After signing up, I took a short quiz for class recommendations, and I jumped right in with a Pilates class. The teacher was very chatty, and I quickly realized that I was watching a recording of a previous live class. She kept shouting out names of Obé members who participated in the live class, which was kind of annoying. But I did get my workout in and could spend years testing out the different classes Obé has to offer.
If you're easily bored and want tons of options, this is the fitness subscription for you.
Pros:
This subscription offers the most workout classes and class types. You can filter classes by music type. You can receive accountability text messages if you'd like.
Cons:
Some are pre-recorded live classes that are personalized to its attendees. You may come across instructors that are very chatty, if you're not a fan of that.
Steezy
The wildcard fitness subscription I tried was Steezy, which offers more than 1,500 online dance classes. I'm talking hip hop, contemporary, ballet, salsa and more. This subscription costs $20 a month, or only $100 annually. There's a seven-day free trial. The classes are filmed in-studio and you can choose whether you're okay with dancing to explicit music, or would prefer kid-friendly tunes.
I took a short quiz asking what dance styles I'm interested in, what level I'm at (brand new, in case you were wondering) and more. You can learn dances to popular songs, so I went with a Lizzo favorite. While picking a class, I wanted to right-click on a few and peek at what they had to offer, but the site doesn't allow you to right-click, which was frustrating. I lost my spot every time I wanted to learn more about a class. The site allows you to view the dancers from the front and behind, to loop any section of the class so you can make sure to get it right, to mirror the video so you don't have to remember right from left and more.
Learning the Lizzo dance was fun and I definitely felt challenged. The downside is learning the dance wasn't as efficient of a workout as other workout classes that are designed to chisel specific body parts. I would take these classes more for fun and some cardio than to really define my abs or glutes. If you want to build your confidence dancing, try Steezy.
Pros:
This is your most affordable option here. This subscription can help build your confidence on the dance floor.
Cons:
You can't right-click on the site, which makes it tough to explore different class options before choosing one. This subscription is more about having fun and dancing than chiseling specific body parts, if that's your goal.
Alo Moves
My favorite fitness subscription of the bunch is Alo Moves. Alo Moves is clothing brand Alo Yoga's fitness app, naturally. Alo Moves' offerings seemed most aligned with my workout preferences off the bat, including yoga, Pilates, barre and more. The subscription even includes meditation, sound bath and other mindfulness videos to stream. Alo also offers in-person workout classes in California and New York, which I've been to, so I knew a bit of what I was getting myself into with Alo Moves.
Alo Moves classes range from 10 to 90 minutes and are taught by more than 70 instructors. As mentioned, I prefer longer classes, so I appreciated the selection of longer classes available. You can also choose from beginner, moderate, intermediate and advanced levels. You can choose if you'd like Alo's music to play in the background of the classes, or you can mute their music to play your own, or simply work out only to the voice of the instructor.
You can access the Alo Moves classes from your smartphone, laptop, Apple TV and more. Alo Moves costs $20 per month, or $200 annually, which I find reasonable. Their free trial is generous, offering 14 days to test out the subscription.
I took a short quiz about my preferences to get started on Alo Moves, and then tested out some intermediate 50-minute Pilates classes that transported me to beach and forest scenes in Australia. The classes definitely left me feeling challenged. The whole experience is just very visually pleasing, with Alo-clad instructors plopped into stunning nature settings around the world. You can work out with views of Costa Rica, Ibiza, the French Riviera, Yellowstone and more. One of the classes included using a block and resistance band, which I own, while another included sliders, which I don't. While it's nice to have the recommended equipment on hand, I still got in a good workout without using the sliders, so don't let the suggested equipment deter you.
Overall, Alo Moves was right up my alley and I have no complaints. I found that it fits into my lifestyle best.
Pros:
This is my favorite subscription of the options I tried here. Alo Moves offers a good selection of longer classes and you can choose whether you'd like to listen to their music or not. They offer a generous free trial. Many of the classes take place in stunning natural settings.
Con:
Some of these workouts recommend basic equipment, if you don't feel like investing in it.
